Done Feeling So Alone
by jellybean96
Summary: It's the best feeling in the entire world. She feels less alone in the water, more connected to her fellow mermaids. She smiles at the thought of getting to see them again. It's been too long. Way too long.


**Hey babes!**

 **So, this is definitely not my first time writing fanfiction, but it's my first time writing for H2O.  
I just recently binged the whole show in one weekend and then watched the scenes of Mako Mermaids that Rikki was in. I was kinda sad to see that she didn't keep in touch with the girls and I'm guessing that she's still broken up with Zane which I wasn't that happy about either. I'm a die hard Zikki shipper, you guys. They're perfect.**

 **Anyways, so this is my little attempt at amending a few things that didn't sit well. In my head, she's definitely with Zane, they're just keeping it on the DL because they can and they don't want the media getting a hold of it since Rikki is a big name now.**

 **Don't know who's actually going to read this, but if you are, then thank you!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Trudging into her hotel room, the curly-haired blonde lets out a heavy breath and immediately falls face first onto her bed after letting the door close and automatically behind her. In the safety of her hotel room, being alone, she can let go a little and relax and not be on and aware all the time. It's not that she doesn't enjoy what she does, because she does, immensely, she just sometimes misses not always being in the spotlight. She didn't think it would be possible, but times were actually much simpler when she only had to worry about keeping her secret from friends and family, not the entire world.

She lies there for a moment on her stomach on top of the covers, toeing her shoes off and letting them fall to the floor below. Lying there with her head on her pillow, she can't help but think about how good it felt to be back there at Mako Island. Like she told those three girls, nothing about it changed since she was last there.

The Moon Pool still holds all those memories for her, both the good and the bad, of those first years spent as a mermaid with her friends. She wouldn't trade those years for anything in the world. All those things she went through, it all helped her become who she is today. And she likes who she is.

When she was sixteen years old she never thought she'd be here at this point in her life. But now she is. And it's pretty amazing.

Rolling over onto her back, she pulls herself up against the headboard and grabs hold of her phone. She quickly unlocks it and goes into her contacts, clicking on a very familiar one at the top of her favorites section for a video chat.

She holds the phone up in front of her face and relaxes a bit more as she waits for the call to connect.

 _"There she is."_

She smiles at the handsome brunette man smiling back at her through the screen.

"Hi."

 _"Hi. How's the tour going?"_

"Book signing went well. It's a bit weird being back here, though."

 _He leans a bit closer to the screen. "Mermaid weird, or just weird-weird?"_

"Bit of both, actually."

 _He leans back again, his brows furrowed. "How so?"_

She shakes her head. "I'll tell you about it when I'm home again." She lets out a breath and relaxes her shoulders a little more. "Right now I just want to talk to you."

 _"About what, then?"_

She shrugs. "Anything. How's work?"

 _"It's going. We've almost got this one up and running. Then I'll just have to stay on a bit longer and make sure things go as smooth as possible."_

"You know, I'm happy that you managed to keep the first one afloat and it's doing well, but I still can't believe you've actually franchised 'Rikki's'," she tells him with a teasing glint in her eyes.

 _"People love 'Rikki's', babe, it's a fact. Can't deny it."_

"Yeah, yeah." She shifts on the bed, pulling herself up against the headboard a little more. "So I've been thinking…"

 _"Well that's never good," he teases._

She rolls her eyes, a slight smile playing at her lips. "Shut up."

 _He laughs quietly. "Sorry. You were saying."_

She takes a deep breath. "I want to tell the others about us."

 _He quirks a brow. "The others? As in…"_

She nods. "As in Emma, Cleo, and Bella. It doesn't feel right keeping them in the dark anymore."

 _"You haven't spoken to them in ages."_

"It hasn't been that long," she tries to defend.

 _"Hasn't it, though? Rikki, I love you, I really do, and I know that you care deeply for them, but can you really consider those girls to still be your best friends? They just moved away as soon as they got the chance without much thought to you and haven't bothered to contact you since. Communication works two ways, they could have picked up their mobiles at any point to call you. But they haven't. They haven't been here supporting you on this amazing new adventure of yours, so what does that tell you?"_

She sighs. "I know they haven't been around the last few years, but we've all got our own lives to live. I wasn't expecting us to live in the same town forever and talk every single day. And it's like you said, communication works two ways. I can't blame the lack of us talking all on them when I very well could have rang one of them to check in on them and their lives."

 _"Well the choice is up to you now, babe. Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you, no matter what. Just like I always do."_

"How did I get so lucky?" she asks with a smile, tilting her head to the side as she stares into his warm eyes that always make her feel better.

 _"I reckon it started when you stole the spark plug from my speedboat and then sprayed me with water when you rode past the dock."_

She groans. "I still can't believe Cleo ever told you that it was me. And that you're still holding it against me after all these years. You never would have realized it was me if she hadn't told you."

 _"Oh, I'm sure I would have figured it out eventually. And don't be mad at Cleo, either, I actually happen to like that story."_

She quirks a brow. "You do?"

 _He nods. "Yeah, I do. Because that's when I started falling for you, even if I didn't know it right then and tried my hardest to make your life miserable. You've had my heart from the very beginning, Rikki Bennett."_

She sighs. "Zane…"

 _He holds his hands up. "I know, I know. Don't worry. Maybe not today, but one day it'll happen. And it will happen eventually because you're the only one I've ever wanted to be with for a long time and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else."_

She rolls her eyes at him again. "Would you stop it? I'm already sleeping with you."

 _"We're in a relationship, Rikki."_

"Yeah, I know."

 _He laughs. "Alright, well, should I let you go now so you can get some rest before you set off on the rest of your tour?"_

She sighs. "I guess so. I miss you."

 _"I miss you too. But soon enough your tour will be finished and then you'll be back here with me. We'll spend the whole day doing whatever you want in celebration."_

She smiles. "Can't wait."

 _"Me neither. I love you, Rikki."_

"I love you too, Zane."

 _He blows her a kiss and then the connection ends, his smiling face frozen on the screen for just a moment._

She smiles at the image for just a moment longer, part of her still not quite believing that they're together again and genuinely happy, before closing out of the app and opening her messages.

She clicks on the box at the top to create a new message, typing in the names of the three girls she's come to love as family.

Clicking inside the text box, she writes and rewrites her message multiple times, trying to figure out the best way to tell them what she should have told them two years ago.

Even though none of them were really keeping in contact with each other much, aside from the occasional text here and there, it doesn't mean she couldn't have told them anyways. But how do you tell someone over a text that you're back together with the person they didn't exactly approve of you being with in the first place?

Letting out a heavy sigh, she decides on a much simpler way of telling them: in person.

She quickly types a single word in the text box before hitting send.

A few minutes later she hears three different ding tones, a few seconds in between each one.

Looking down at the screen, she smiles at the three different answers, practically hearing their individual voices through the words written.

She sits up quickly on the bed, leaving her phone behind as she stands and exits her hotel room, being sure to slip her shoes back on before heading downstairs and then outside into the warm sun.

Leisurely strolling along down to the beach, there's a bit of a pep to her walk. There's also a quickness to her heartbeat that pulls a small frown across her lips.

She doesn't know why her heart is racing. These girls are her friends, they care about her and want what's best for her. Of course they're going to be happy for her. Right?

Reaching the familiar piece of secluded beach where she first experimented with trying to will her tail to not appear when in water, she takes a moment to just remember.

So much has happened since she became a mermaid, so much more than she ever thought would happen to her. For a while, she honestly never thought she'd amount to much, coming from the background she does. But now she's a successful author, diver, and antiquities collector. She'd say she's doing pretty well for herself.

Taking a deep breath, she slides out of her shoes, setting them off to the side where she'll be able to find them later, and then slowly walks toward the water's edge.

It's nothing new for her, she just did this a few hours ago. She's done it countless times over the last few years since that fateful night at the Moon Pool.

But this time, knowing she'll them again, it has her breathing a bit heavier. She never said it aloud to the other mermaids, but she's sure they figured it out from what she did say to them.

Sure she has Zane, and she loves him more than she ever thought she could and is glad that he's there whenever she needs him, but his patience and understanding can only go so far. He doesn't really know what it's like for her, being so free when she's in the water, but he does his best to be there for her. And she loves him for that.

When it comes down to it, though, there's only three other girls who know exactly how she feels when in the water. They've been through so much together and she honestly misses seeing them and hanging out together, always smirking on the inside at the large secret they share that only a select few are actually privy to. It's like their own little club. And she's always loved that. She's never had a bond like that with anyone until she moved to the Gold Coast.

But what are they like now? Have any of them really changed at all from how they used to be when they were teenagers and did everything they could to keep their secret?

There's only one way to find out the answers she's searching for.

She takes another deep breath as she steps into the water and then quickly jogs further into it before jumping and diving in under the waves. She lets the calmness and serenity of being back in the ocean wash over her before she slowly begins her journey, taking time to just be there and revel in the feeling she always gets being in the deep big blue. It's the best feeling in the entire world. She feels less alone in the water, more connected to her fellow mermaids.

She smiles at the thought of getting to see them again. It's been too long. Way too long.

.

.

.

 **Rikki: Mako?**

 _Emma: Shift ends in ten. I'll leave right after._

 _Bella: Absolutely. Have to finish up this rehearsal and then I'll be there._

 _Cleo: Rikki! Yes! Definitely. Be there as soon as I can._  
 _I've missed you._

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 **So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

 **I did my best to use Australian lingo and such without making it too over the top or weird, as I'm an American, so I hope I did okay.**

 **Not sure if I'll write more for this fandom, we'll see.**

 **Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


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